Parliament has voted to keep the drinking and purchase age of alcohol at 18.
The option to split the age between 18 and 20 was the first option to drop off the ballot.
MPs were offered three options under the committee stages of the Alcohol Reform Bill:
• Aged 18 for both drinking at an on-licensed premises and buying liquor from an off-licensed premises like a supermarket.
• Aged 20 for both drinking at an on-licensed premises and buying liquor from an off-licensed premises like a supermarket.
• Split age - aged 18 for drinking on-licensed premises and 20 for buying alcohol at off-license premises.
The final vote between the other two was 68 for aged 18 and 53 for aged 20.
The vote on the age is the only conscience vote in the Alcohol Reform Bill.
Debate on other elements of the bill will resume after next week's recess.
MPs spent two and a half hours debating the age this afternoon.
